General Electric shares continued to plumb new depths after Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded the troubled bellwether on Monday.
Shares fell 1 percent in premarket trading, approaching just $16 a share. The stock fell to a six-year low on Friday below $17 a share after GE said earlier in the week it would take a $6.2 billion after-tax charge because of its GE Capital insurance portfolio and that it expects to contribute $14 billion over the next seven years to shore up the company’s reserves.
Analyst Andrew Obln told investors that the industrial conglomerate is likely to slash its 2018 outlook when it reports fourth-quarter results.
Our outlook “reflects lower earnings estimates, zero equity value assigned to GE Capital, and lower value assigned to GE Digital initiatives, as we don’t see the market paying up for this optionality,” wrote Obln in a note to clients. “The relative size of the charge vs. expectations and limited disclosure related to potential off-balance sheet liabilities once again raise a question about the credibility of the current guidance and capital structure framework.”
The analyst has a 12-month price target of $17 and downgraded the stock to neutral from buy.
Obln’s view echoes the concern of the market’s last week, that not even a break-up can stop the recent slide. The company may move to split itself as early as this spring, sources told CNBC’s David Faber last Tuesday.
General Electric has hemorrhaged value over the past year as new CEO John Flannery attempts to turn the conglomerate around. The company recently cut its dividend to raise funds, but alienated many long-time investors in the process.
The shares are down 47 percent over the past 12 months through Friday’s close.
—CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
